Russia orders Apple to surrender users' messages on demand
Apple and Microsoft have been added to a Russian state surveillance registry, requiring them to hand over users' text, video and audio messages without a legal process, and by request. Moscow at night (Credit: Evgenit/Pixabay) Multiple firms and apps are already on this same list, including WhatsApp and Telegram, so it's not clear why it has taken until now for Apple to be added. It's a continuation of the country's moves to control users' messages, though, as it follows Russia's blocking of FaceTime in 2025. According to Bloomberg , Apple and Microsoft were added to this registry of "organizers of information dissemination" on October 2, 2026. The registry is operated by the country's state media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, which previously forced Apple to remove VPN apps from the App Store . Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
What happened?
Apple and Microsoft have been added to a Russian state surveillance registry, requiring them to hand over users' text, video and audio messages without a legal process, and by request. Moscow at night (Credit: Evgenit/Pixabay) Multiple firms and apps are already on this same list, including WhatsApp and Telegram, so it's not clear why it has taken until now for Apple to be added. It's a continuation of the country's moves to control users' messages, though, as it follows Russia's blocking of FaceTime in 2025. According to Bloomberg , Apple and Microsoft were added to this registry of "organizers of information dissemination" on October 2, 2026. The registry is operated by the country's state media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, which previously forced Apple to remove VPN apps from the App Store . Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Story details
Apple and Microsoft have been added to a Russian state surveillance registry, requiring them to hand over users' text, video and audio messages without a legal process, and by request.
Moscow at night (Credit: Evgenit/Pixabay) Multiple firms and apps are already on this same list, including WhatsApp and Telegram, so it's not clear why it has taken until now for Apple to be added.
It's a continuation of the country's moves to control users' messages, though, as it follows Russia's blocking of FaceTime in 2025.
Why it matters
This page keeps Apple rumors separate from official updates, so readers can follow early reports without confusing them with confirmed announcements.